3 Ineffective Supplements That Experts Say May Do Nothing For Gut Health

Your gut health plays an important role in practically every aspect of your overall wellbeing, from your digestion to your mental health. Luckily, there are several things you can do in order to keep your gut healthy—and that includes taking certain supplements meant to restore balance in your gut microbiome. However, not all supplements are created equal. In fact, some may be practically useless in the long run.

To shed some light on a few gut supplements that might be better off left on the shelf, we spoke to Catherine Gervacio, Registered Dietician and nutrition writer for Living.Fit. “Gut supplements are made to improve or maintain the function of the digestive system so there’s no way to tell if a certain supplement is ineffective or not,” she tells us. “These supplements should not be treated as medicine because they don’t promise any therapeutic claim. That’s why its effectiveness varies from one person to another. depending on how their gut responds to the ingredients added to the supplement.” That being said, she told us that colon cleansers, certain probiotics supplements, and slippery elm bark may all render ineffective for many people. Learn more about why you may want to skip these supplements below.